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Mayoral Candidate Survey for 2006 Municipal Elections Dear Mayoral Candidate: The purpose of this survey is to gauge your commitment to youth engagement. Over 300,000 youth live in Toronto and their development is imperative to ensuring our city’s present and future success. Survey results will be published online and promoted in a media and street campaign. The results will also be used as an education piece for a Toronto high school mock vote. Fantastic! What a great way to get PO into the minds of the Youth. We need to teach our teachers how to use this communication tool. The importance will be seen as you go through my responses. Name: Age: (over 25”) Ward: I live on Wards Island
1. Youth Assets We tend to speak about deficiencies in our communities and what is lacking rather than about what is positive and how we can build on it. What assets do young people in Toronto possess, and what specifically will you do to ensure that these assets are mobilized and used as building blocks for community building?
Response (use space as needed): Youth have unbridled and unsatisfied potential. I am already teaching the youth skills in communication – PO – (see website www.homeplanet.org – under educational Materials – I want to develop x 100 the mentoring programs that exist around the city and encourage youth to Participate in the Mentoring programs – but BEFORE going into these programs I want to have them understand more – in order that they may feedback better to their mentors - in many instances the youth have more understanding than the people mentoring them – this would be a way to leverage community development. Mentoring is not a one way street. I do not want to take to much time explaining all that we bring forth for the youth – let them surf the www.homeplanet.org website and find for themselves where they are in their own learning/teaching curve. Then, through an intelligent process (Fourth Way Principles) we may unleash the potential of our youth. I should mention here that we are bringing to Toronto the Department of Peace initiative that began in the US and is now in Vancouver, Victoria and Ottawa. I encourage some youth leaders to come to our meeting on the 26 th at #6 St Joseph Street to hear how we are going to do it. (6 PM – 8 PM) 2. Civic Participation
a) Many residents face barriers that prevent them from becoming involved. For instance, voting rights have yet to be extended to 16 and 17-year olds or residents without full citizenship status. Do you support eliminating these barriers? Yes No PO Comments: Neither yes nor no – but PO. Here is an opportunity to understand more deeply. The idea of age as an indicator for wisdom is foolish. I have met elders that are 19 years old. I have met indigo children – wise people that are under 10. Should they not be allowed to vote? The problem with our system is that a fool can vote but a wise person cannot. I suggest that we use the existing system as a guideline, and not change it 100% because of the fear it would conjure up in the existing system, rather we develop a process that allows anyone to vote if they are interested in demonstrating their knowledge relating to the particular situation they are voting on – whether it be on issues of smoking, marijuana use, driving, banking systems, economics etc. Imagine that. b) Since 2001, the Toronto Community Housing Corporation has used a participatory budgeting process to involve tenants in budget decision-making. Currently, 13% ($9 million) of the TCHC’s capital budget is determined in this process. Do you support making Listening to Toronto sessions on the city budget more meaningful by allowing residents to determine where a set amount of funds should be allocated? Yes No PO Comments: Another example where PO may be helpful. A quick listen to the Mayor – taking pride in the fact that 800 new beds for homeless were developed last year. He took great pride in this. I was embarrassed for him – that he is so ignorant of the problem that he did not realize 800 was a failure number not a success number – but if you say it with his good looks and demeanor – you think that what he did was good. To address your question directly – I think the funding should be increased according to what “Listening to Toronto” determines and develop a process for eliminating problems rather than band aiding solutions here there and every where. We operate from poverty consciousness not from the consciousness of the major economic driver of a country that generated 35 billion dollar surplus last year. _ imagine if we received our per capita share of that for infrastructure development and looking after the people? c) Youth bring a lot to the table by sharing their unique insight and experiences, but they are often marginalized from decision-making bodies. The City Manager’s Office conducted an analysis of appointments made to Agencies, Boards and Commissions in 2004 and identified youth as a priority group where additional efforts are required to attract youth as board members. Will you vote to ensure all Agencies, Boards and Commissions have youth representatives on their boards? Yes No again PO Comments: I think we should go further. We should train and hire youth to establish monitoring of all Boards, Agencies and Commissions. Nothing should be done behind closed doors without Youth involvement. But here I did not say Yes. Youth need to be trained in how to monitor, to listen, to participate. A civics course could be developed at the University and colleges that encourages this process. There are new technologies that the process could be enhanced and we could develop a whole industry around this sense of CIVIC participation. Imagine a training course where there is a job guaranteed at the end of passing the course. d) The Mayor and City Council are advised by roundtables composed primarily of community members on a number of issues such as the environment, arts and culture, and access, equity, and human rights. During the past few decades, many democratic innovations have been realized around the world. Toronto appears to be lagging behind. Presently, no forum exists for discussing how we can increase civic participation. Do you support the formation of a Roundtable on Democracy and Civic Participation? Yes No again PO Comments: before we develop a new roundtable – because I am watching a group forming a new one around the issue of Social Justice and Peace and I have the same comment here. Why would we develop another Roundtable when the existing ones are so dysfunctional. Would it not be better to look at how they work and make the existing ones better – maybe an overview Roundtable that evaluates the others in the context of some higher values. Maybe that is what you meant. And if so, I might change my PO to a yes – but this is the danger of YES /NO thinking. You end up with the mess we have.
3. Community Safety a) Providing adequate opportunities for young people to engage in productive activities is imperative for creating safe communities. With the City of Toronto’s Community Safety Plan, new programs and services have been implemented in 13 designated at-risk neighbourhoods. For high-needs neighbourhoods not on the priority list, securing grants or support for programs and services has become extremely hard, if not impossible. How do you plan on supporting high-needs neighbourhoods that are not on the priority list? Response: The Toronto Dollar offers such a benefit system. Although I have difficulty with the existing limited use of the Toronto Dollar. Imagine a Toronto Dollar that the City used beyond the PHOTO opportunity. I mean actually used it in their process. That would generate a new pool of funds to draw from and it could be larger than the United Way of Toronto if done with imagination.
b) In 2001 the Toronto Youth Cabinet introduced the concept of an employment initiative to confront the difficult issues of finding meaningful youth employment and integrating marginalized youth into municipal government. Specifically, the initiative asks Toronto City Councillors and the Mayor to set an example in respect to both issues by hiring a young person to work in their office over the summer ($10/h x 350 h x 45 jobs = $157,500 + 13% benefits = $177,975). Will you vote to support the mandatory implementation of this initiative for the summer of 2007?
Yes No Comments: Hurray we got a YES – but with some conditions attached . That the hiring be done of youth that have learned particular information as a criteria for hiring. See the “great mind” program at www.homeplanet.org . I would like to see the “concept document” and then perhaps one could justify doubling your numbers. But seeing the concept document and its depth of intention would be better. Maybe I am PO “ing “ this after all?. c) Economically vulnerable populations such as high school students and seniors are offered a worse deal for monthly passes. Based on the cost of a regular fare, adults with a monthly pass must use it 37 times in order to “break even”, while high school students or seniors must use their respective pass 46 times. Will you vote to give seniors and high school students a fair deal by making their “break even” point for monthly passes equivalent to that of adults?
Yes No sorry PO again Comments: My campaign has the intention of giving FREE passes to off hour use to University students and all Seniors. I had not considered High School Students and their needs. I think this bears looking at – and likely you have a YES here but you have a mixed question for me. In general I agree with the principle of FREE passes fro education – but I would want to make certain that the youth are not taking advantage of the systems. I think that attendance and performance must be included in some way. People seem to take advantage of systems if there is no responsibility attached to the benefit.
d) According to the Toronto Youth Profile 2003, 20,000 young people used Toronto emergency shelters at least once in 2003, comprising 27% of all shelter users. Currently, only youth 17 and below are prioritized for subsidized housing. Moreover, when street-involved youth do find subsidized housing they often return to the streets due to a lack of housing supports geared towards youth. Will you vote to ensure youth up to the age of 24 are prioritized for subsidized housing and increase aftercare supports, including meetings with housing workers and training in budgeting and other life skills? Yes YES No Comments: I need to be more aware of the situation you have outlined. I think pressure on this aspect of the system will change with other developments in the system. Our program is evolutionary and what you have outlined in your question is the result of a broken system. Hopefully when we fix the broken system these aspects will not appear as you have identified. For example. I have postulated in my Vision of the Future that people be allowed to build one more floor on their houses – right across the city. That would generate some incredible number (I have not studied the number and the actual process) of areas where people could be housed. It would solve the problem that you have identified and wit would generate a huge amount of jobs in construction. Combining this with the Green roof project and some funding process we could change the whole fabric of our broken system. Instead of putting up ten high rises that create congestion – we would spread the growth through the whole city and every one would benefit. The problem is that people have not heard this idea even though I brought it forth in my last campaign. The Youth need to understand how broken the system is before we band aid it.
4. Representing our Communities
a) It is important for people who have the greatest need and are most affected by the issues to take leadership roles. How is your lived experience relevant to representing the disadvantaged people of Toronto?
Response: I have hosted a Conversation Café every Thursday night for the past four years – sharing knowledge and information, and counseling. I do this at a resource center for the homeless at #6 St Joseph Street. I work with the First Nations peoples and I study as a Hayoka Elder in training. My work as a peacemaker tends to be with the disadvantaged although I do not use the terminology. b) Toronto is said to have the most diverse population in the world. Right now Toronto City Council does not reflect the diversity in our population. If elected, how will you be making Toronto City Council more representative of the diverse people of Toronto?
Response: I have been involved with the Multi Faith Community for many years and have hosted events around the world because of my calling. I have led spiritual ceremonies in Brazil, Korea, France, England, Mexico, Cuba, Spain, United States and Canada. As Mayor I would change the process of the discussion – honoring our grandparents and ancestors. I would bring the Thanksgiving Address of the Iroquois people to Toronto City hall. In my humble opinion how we treat the First Nations Peoples is indicative how we should treat all people and I am embarrassed as a human being how my city, my province and my country has treated them. This MUST change and with your help we can do it. GO For GOLD – impress yourself with the quality of your mind, the content of your heart, the energy of your spirit and your willingness to stand up and be counted with me. After all is said and done I am the one person in this Campaign that can do it. I have the spiritual blessing of many elders and wise people to enable me to bring all of us along together – in a good way – without ego or attachment – and without compromising to the false values of political pundits. Together let us say: *We, the people of earth, of one heart and mind, joining together open ourselves to the power of love and truth. *These are words form the story – The Last One written by my friend Austin Repath
P.S. as a closing note I want to stress to you that I support the Youth Candidate Shawn Bruce – but I do not recommend that anyone vote for him. A vote for him helps both Pitfield and Miller. This would be a mistake. As I did in the last election I did not want to split the vote away from Miller . My slogan then was “Go for the Gold but vote for Miller. This was a wise thing for me to do.
NOW it would be wise for the Youth vote to adopt “Go for Gold” and I will work with Shawn and help him develop from what he has learned in this process. Let his ego not get in the way – every vote he gets helps the others and hurts us.. This is a political reality. This time – for good reason we need to get rid of the incumbents and bring in fresh people with fresh minds and a desire to manifest the future of Toronto in a good way using the best of our thinking. Go For Gold!!
P.S. 2. You must have figures out by now that PO has many meanings - the one I most commonly use is – Peace Opportunity – but it has many meanings according to how you choose to use it:
Generally – PO = I think I understand what you mean but could you explain it to me a little more fully
PO is a communication tool – non judgmental, a language laxative encouraging exploration of common ground. |
